Biking in Alameda: The Hurdles

Getting back to the biking theme, as I wrote last week, there are lot of reasons why biking is beneficial, both for individuals and for communities. Biking is healthier than driving a car, for instance. Biking’s environmental impact is also a mere fraction of that of an oil-burning vehicle.

And then there’s that glorious mood-boosting side effect — something that reader cyndyj alluded to in a comment last week, when she wrote:

One of the highlights of my week is running my leisurely weekend errands by bike — can’t say I burn many calories at the pace I ride, but I get lots of fresh air and get to enjoy the neighborhoods in ways that I couldn’t if I did my errands by car.

I totally agree. I don’t know if it’s nostalgia for childhood, or the sheer pleasure of being outside, or the joy of getting some exercise, or that ability to notice more in my surroundings, but something about riding a bike just cheers me up in a way that driving around in a 1000-pound metal box does not.

So why don’t we all bike more?

Certainly some of the hurdles to biking have been mentioned here in recent comments, including bike theft and safety. Yet as several readers noted, theft can be deterred by using a sturdy lock (that’s not a cable, by the way). One reader also wrote to tell me about the ultra-cool bike stations available at the Berkeley, Fruitvale, Embarcadero and Ashby BART stops now. Added bonus: You can get your bike repaired while you’re off at work!

One common impediment, of course, is the lack of good biking routes and facilities. But more and more communities across the country are now investing in such bike-friendly infrastructure (think bike lanes, bike paths, and, yes, bike shuttles) — or at least trying to figure out what good bike infrastructure might look like. (For a good example of how the times are changing, check out this New York Times article about biking, storing bikes, and attitudes towards biking in New York City.)

Which brings up another topic. One big impediment to getting more people to bike seems to be one of image. So up next: Can bicycling ever be cool?